Indiana GOP taps Elrod in special election for Carson's seat

January 14, 2008

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Republicans on Sunday nominated State Rep. Jon Elrod to run in a March 11 special election against Democrat Andre Carson for the congressional seat held by his grandmother, Rep. Julia Carson, before her death last month. Elrod got a majority of votes from the 7th district's precinct committeemen, a Republican spokeswoman said.

"The Republicans in the Seventh Congressional District were unified in their support for Jon Elrod," Indiana Republican Party Chairman Murray Clark said in a news release. "Jon will work hard and run a vigorous campaign and we look forward to victory in March."

Elrod, an attorney, had announced his plans to run for Congress a month before Carson's death. He won election last year to his first term in the Legislature by defeating incumbent Democrat Rep. Ed Mahern by seven votes in the district on the south side of Indianapolis.

Julia Carson, a six-term Democrat, died Dec. 15 from lung cancer. She had represented the 7th District, which covers most of Indianapolis, since 1997.

The winner of the special election will complete a term that runs through the rest of the year.

Andre Carson, who became a member of the Indianapolis City-County Council last year, won the Democratic nomination on Saturday, with 223 of the 439 votes cast by precinct committee members among eight candidates.

Libertarians also chose their nominee, Sean Sheppard, a small-business owner in the telecommunications industry, on Saturday.

State Rep. David Orentlicher, who was runner-up with 123 votes in the Democratic caucus, said he planned to challenge Carson in the May 6 primary for the party's nomination in November's general election for the new two-year congressional term that starts in January.

At least two other Democrats Â? state Rep. Carolene Mays and former state health commissioner Woodrow Myers Â? also plan to run in the primary.